The Future's Light
by celestia193
Summary: Kagome has been acting strangely since her birthday, and her classmate Akari is determined to find out what's going on. So one day, she follows Kagome to the shrine. A mysterious voice calls her through the well. When she jumps inside, she comes face to face with a world she's never known, and a truth that she never suspected. I do not own Inuyasha, its characters, or canon plot.
1. Classmates

**Letter to the Readers:**

 **To new readers, welcome. To any of my regular readers, which it seems that somehow I've got, welcome back (dunno why you guys ended up here though, assuming you don't read Inuyasha fics since you're from very different fandoms, if you do read them then it makes sense). This story is one that I'm a bit nervous about putting up, so if you read it, read with an open mind. And please forgive me for science fiction jokes. I just put them in where appropriate because this does partly take place in the modern era (which all of you should know already, seeing as it's Inuyasha).**

 **Other than that, all I can say is that if you don't like it, don't read it. I don't want any flames just because you might not like a detail or plot point. Plus, it's fanfiction, we get some creative license, which means that at first, some of what gets written might seem contradictory, or not make a lot of sense (most stories seem like that at first anyway, the plot fleshes out details later). So please be respectful to writers (not just me, but please be nice to me anyway), some of us really do try our best (like spending two hours going over a couple thousand words, thinking "Is this good enough to post for the entire world to see yet? Oh no, I see a typo! Now...what was my point again? Ah, right, I remember!").**

 **Anyway, I'll try to update this story as often as possible, between classes and homework, which I'm pretty backed up on right now. I'm also in the process of editing a novel, which is going to suck up a couple of weekends. And of course I've got other fics on the go, and I'm still transferring files and getting things organized on my new laptop. So basically, complete and utter chaos.**

 **And for anyone wondering ahead of time about Ayame. I don't like her much. Just putting that out there. She may show up, she may not, I'm still debating, seeing as I'll be mostly following the anime, using the manga for reference in case there's something that isn't clear (and yes, I've read the manga cover to cover, some of it is sitting on my bookshelf at home).**

 **If you've stuck it out and haven't gotten bored yet, then please...enjoy...**

* * *

Am I a troubled kid? Yeah, I guess you could say that. But in my defense, all those fights I get into are totally justified. And now I sound like you could argue that they aren't. Well, I hate bullies, and I don't pull any punches when I let them know that. And I let them know that whenever I catch them torturing their victims. But, I'm not very good at reining it in once I'm on a roll, and when I roll, it's down a very steep emotional hill. Though, I'm fairly certain that the people I stick up for appreciate my help. Too bad I scare them off so quickly that I've never received any gratitude.

For almost thirteen years, I've lived as a foster child. My birth parents are a mystery to me, and my various foster parents all eventually get tired of me, claiming that I'm just not a good fit for their family. I've bounced around from foster home to foster home, but no one felt like adopting me. You would think that a cute little baby or toddler would get adopted quickly, but there's been no luck for me even though I've been in the foster system since I was a baby. Something just keeps anyone from wanting to keep me, and it's not my liking for fighting, because it's been happening since before I learned how to fight. It seems more like a curse than any single unpleasant personality trait.

Besides, considering the kinds of grades that I get, you'd think that some parents would want to keep me just for the bragging rights. Bad attitude aside, I do pretty well on tests and homework. They're the only things that my teachers don't complain about. And no one can seem to believe that I'm the one getting some of the best grades in the school. Go figure, the one who looks like a delinquent, and gets bounced from one house to the next is the genius. Who knew?

I carry around some of the clothes and toys that the foster parents have bought for me over the years, along with an heirloom that is supposedly from my birth parents. A necklace with two fangs and a pretty silver pearl. I wear it all the time, even though we're technically not supposed to wear that kind of jewelry in school. But I break so many rules anyway that one more isn't going to make a difference. It's not like my grades suffer for it, so frankly, no one should care.

I'm fourteen years old and in the ninth grade. I was allowed to skip a grade when I was younger because my grades were through the roof. And since then, I've always been younger than my classmates. I go to school in Tokyo, Japan. My name is Akari, but my last name is always a pain, since it varies according to whichever foster family has me. It's one of the drawbacks of having been found abandoned as a baby. And because I get bounced around so much, attention is pretty hard to come by.

One of the only classmates who ever pays me any real attention is Kagome Higurashi, the daughter of one of the city's shrine keepers. She's super nice to me, unlike most other people, who only see me as a troublesome kid who can't seem to find a family to take me in. They all assume that I'm the problem. Obviously they haven't seen the state of the foster care system, or that wouldn't be their first assumption. And because of that, they assume that I'm a delinquent.

Since everyone already thinks that I'm a delinquent, I decide that I should just do whatever the hell I want. And I go and dye my hair with gold streaks to match my unnatural golden eyes, eyes that are just another reason for people to think that I'm strange. The gold stands out well against my brown hair, which is so dark that at night it looks pitch black. That doesn't win me any friends either, not that it was meant to and not that I care, but at least Kagome thinks that my hair looks cool. And having just one person tell me that makes me feel a whole lot better.

Unfortunately, the teachers don't agree, and they give me a hard time about it, what with a couple of weeks worth of detention. But since I ace all of my homework and tests anyway, everything they hand me, I hand back quickly, finished to perfection. Although, it's not like they didn't give me a hard time before. They seem to equate my liking for learning martial arts with being a bad kid. And with my attitude, people usually keep a pretty safe distance away from me. Kagome is the only one who continues to hang out with me once in a while. Though she probably does it just to keep my spirits up. That's the kind of person she is. She's got a pretty big heart.

Right around her birthday, Kagome misses school for a few days. Disappointing, considering that I'd wanted to hang out with her that day. But then she comes back, claiming that she was just sick. But something doesn't seem right, she's nervous and trying a little too hard to be happy around her friends.

I get the feeling that she isn't being completely honest. And while I don't like suspecting the only real friend I've got, my instincts are usually right. Plus, she seems different, like she's drifting off into a daydream. I guess that distracted would be the best way to describe the change, or maybe just very unfocused.

In any case, I want to find out what's really going on. And if at all possible, I want to help.


	2. I'm Coming Too!

Kagome's been back for a few days, but she's been completely out of it during class. So, I pluck up my courage and I follow her home, planning to surprise her and get her to spill the reason why she's been so weird. But while I wait outside at the top of the stairs, I see her come back out again with a backpack. I expect her to run towards me, to leave the shrine, but she heads towards the back of the shrine instead.

I follow her across the shrine grounds and see her enter a small building. _Why is she bringing a backpack into such a small building? Wouldn't it be easier just to carry the stuff? Why go through the trouble of packing it, taking it over there, and unpacking it again?_

Curious, and still determined to talk to her, I go to the building and push the door open. Kagome is nowhere to be seen, but I hear a noise coming from the well. I jump down the stairs and look into the well. I don't see anything particularly interesting, but I can hear a voice like a spring breeze. "Akari…Akari…" And it's coming out of the well.

What the…? What's going on? Where is that voice coming from? My curiosity is starting to get the better of me, and I still have no idea where Kagome disappeared to. _Well…might as well go down there and have a look._

Against anyone else's logic and common sense, I climb over the side and jump down into the well. And though I half expect nothing to happen, everything changes around me and I see a spectral sky full of stars. Instead of falling, I float down through this starry sky, until everything darkens again and I land on my feet.

I look around, then notice that there is light above me. I see vines on the walls of the well and use them as hand and footholds to climb up and out of the well. Once at the top, I notice that I'm in the middle of a forest. This is hardly the closed in well at the back of a shrine that I hopped into. _Okay…I'm not entirely sure, but I think I've just accomplished the dream of every fan of science fiction. I've pulled off cross-dimensional travel._ I let that sink into my brain as I look around and try to figure out exactly where, or when, I am. _Well, if I'm here, then chances are that this is where Kagome disappeared to._

I can smell something strange off to my left, so I head in that direction for a while. Eventually, I find my way out of the forest and to a village. This is clearly not the same time period as modern day, because this is not what Tokyo looks like. From what I can tell, I've traveled hundreds of years into the past. _This must be the early days of Edo…_

I run to the village, hoping to find Kagome. But villagers find me first, and they immediately start yelling at me, some even throw rocks at me. "Demon! Monster! Leave our village now!"

"Kagome!" I scream for my friend and crouch to the ground, trying to protect myself from the projectiles. "Kagome! Help me!"

"Hey! Stop that!" Suddenly, I hear Kagome's voice, and the rocks stop flying. I look up and see her crouch next to me. She grabs my hands firmly. "Akari? How did you get here?"

I point back to the forest. "I followed you home after school, I was going to surprise you. Then I followed you to the back of the shrine, and a voice came through the well. So I jumped in to find out if there was someone at the bottom, and I ended up in this place. I walked in this direction, hoping to find you in the village I spotted. I managed to make it this far, and these people just suddenly attacked me!"

"Okay, I know just what you need!" Kagome pulls me to my feet and away from the villagers, who are all whispering and pointing at me. I follow Kagome to a hut, where she enters without knocking. "Kaede, I'm back!"

An old lady inside the hut glances at me. "And who have ye brought here, child?"

Kagome frowns a little. "A friend of mine, from my era. Her name is Akari. Somehow, she managed to cross through the well, just like I did, she's from Tokyo."

Since I've probably got more questions than the old lady, I grab Kagome's arm. "Okay, when and where the hell are we? And why did those villagers call me a demon?"

"This is feudal Japan. As far as I can figure, we've traveled about five hundred years into the past. There are demons and other monsters here, so you shouldn't stay here long. The villagers probably thought that you're a demon because of your hair, I'm the only one who knows that you're human." Kagome's explanation makes almost no sense, but I have an imagination, and I can definitely tell that this isn't a dream, so I humor her. Her frown, if I can even call it that, deepens. "It's dangerous for you here, you shouldn't have come."

Now, I'm mildly ticked off. "Alright, so if there are demons around, then why the hell are you here? It can't be safe for you either. And last I checked, I'm the one with the mixed martial arts training, not you. So if I'm in danger, then you're in even more danger." And now, my protective and combative personality starts to surface. "If you're staying, then I'm staying. There's no way I'm leaving my friend here in such an unfamiliar place."

"Akari, I have a mission to do here. I caused a big problem by accident, so I have to deal with it. You need to go home."

"Then I'm going to help you!" I dig in my heels and show her how stubborn I can be. "Besides, exactly what do you want me to go home to? I'm in foster care, remember? I don't want to go back to that place."

Before Kagome can answer me, a boy bursts in. "No way! No damn way are we taking a weakling human along with us! One is bad enough, and I don't want to have to protect a second!"

For some reason, this boy, who has silver hair and dog ears, both irritates me, and makes me feel happy. The scent coming off him is familiar. "Huh…he smells good." Kagome and the old lady look at me in astonishment, and I realize how strange my comment was. "Oh crap, did I say that out loud?"

The boy stares at me with a frown and sniffs the air. "Are you really a human? You've got the weak scent of a demon on you."

I immediately feel confused, so I shake my head. "I'm not a demon. And I think that I would know if I'd run into any demons in Tokyo."

"Well maybe you got the smell on you when you were running through the forest from the well. You could have picked up the scent there." Kagome speaks soothingly, obviously trying to stop the situation from escalating.

But the boy is unconvinced, and he shoves his face close to mine and sniffs me. "No, you smell like you've had more than just contact with a demon's scent. Either you fought one, or you are one, or part of one." Then his eyes focus on my necklace. "Or it's because you're wearing it around your neck. Do you usually wear dog demon fangs?"

I look at Kagome with alarm. "What? No! I've always had this necklace. It was a gift from my birth parents."

Kagome nods. "Yeah, you've worn it every single day, even when the teachers told you to take it off. I've never seen you without that necklace."

"Well, those are demon fangs, no question about it." He crosses his arms and frowns at me. "Getting something like that isn't easy, there aren't a lot of dog demons left. And they're small, so they have to be either from a young demon, or enchanted to stay that size. So how did you get them?"

"I don't know!" I get up in his face and growl at him. "This is the only thing I have from my parents. So if you touch it, I'll rip those fuzzy ears of yours off!"

He growls at me in return. "You know, you seem really fishy. If I couldn't smell it, I would think you were lying."

"Hey, why are you so suspicious of me? I haven't done anything to you." My nose twitches as I stop my face only an inch from his. "Yet. But don't push me Dog Boy. One wrong move, and you'll regret it."

But before he can answer, Kagome cuts in. "Sorry about that, Akari. Inuyasha just doesn't trust people very easily."

He grumbles about it, but doesn't contradict her. "I still don't want to take another human along. Nothing but dead weight if she can't fight."

His assumption pisses me off. "And why do you think I can't fight?"

"There's no way a tiny kid like you could possibly hold up in a fight!"

Now, I'm pissed. "I'm trained in seven martial arts, I can and have taken on men twice my size, so don't you dare assume that I'm too weak to fight!" He stares at me, and I stare right back, daring him to say no again.

Kagome decides to back me up. "That's right! She's the reigning martial arts champion at our school! She can beat all the boys! She's really smart and good at strategy games like chess and battleship! And in a fight, she's so awesome, she takes down her opponents in seconds!"

This doesn't seem to convince Inuyasha, but the old lady nods at something. "The child also appears to have traces of spiritual power. It is wild and unfocused, but very strong, considering that I can sense it, despite it being dormant."

That confuses me. "Spiritual power? What do you mean by spiritual power?"

Kagome blinks at me, then gets excited. "Really? You have spiritual power too? That's amazing! Kaede has been teaching me about how priests and priestesses use their spiritual powers for purification, and for slaying demons. The stronger the spiritual powers, the stronger the demons that you can purify."

Kaede nods. "Young Kagome has strong spiritual powers of her own. It makes me wonder if all young girls in your land have such potential. Hers are more focused than yours, but experience and training will focus yours if you let it."

With it looking like Inuyasha is outnumbered, he throws his hands up. "Fine, but there's no way I'm protecting both of you!" And with that, he leaves the hut in a huff.

I finally notice Kagome's pack in the corner of the hut, and I also notice that there is a faint glow coming from inside it. I nudge Kagome. "Uh, why is your backpack glowing?"

That shocks both Kagome and Kaede, who looks at me strangely. "Your dormant powers must be something indeed if ye can see the shards of the Shikon Jewel."

"Shikon Jewel? What's that?" And when I ask, Kagome rummages in her backpack and takes out a small pouch with a small shard of pink crystal in it. "It's a sacred jewel that can grant powers to demons. I broke it by accident, so now Inu Yasha and I are trying to gather up all of the pieces."

That amazes me, so I stare her down. "Alright, I'm coming too!"

"What!? This is dangerous! I can't just drag you along! You're barely fourteen, and you look like you're twelve! If you come along, you could die!" Her concern is touching, but very misplaced.

"You could die too! What's the difference?" I spit it right back at her, determined to have my way. "I'm better equipped for a battle than you are, so let me come, let me help. I don't care about risking my life, because it's mine to risk. If it's about my foster parents, don't worry, they won't miss me if I'm gone, they hate me!"

Kagome looks upset as she looks at me, then she sighs and smiles. "Okay, I get it. You want to help, and you're not afraid. Okay, you can come along. But just be prepared, because we kill demons, they don't just disappear, there is blood and guts and gore everywhere. They even eat people."

"That's fine." I shrug as if blood is the same as water. "I've been in enough fights to see plenty of blood. Killing some monsters who just want to hurt and eat people won't bug me much."

She hefts her backpack over one shoulder. "Alright, then let's get going, unless you need to go home and pack."

I shake my head. "I'm good, I don't need anything right now. I can always wash myself if I have to. You seem to have more than enough supplies for a few days. Plus, I do have some survival skills, so I'm not completely helpless."

So Kagome smiles and I follow her outside. She calls up to Inuyasha in the tree. "Hey Inuyasha! Akari is going to come along with us to look for the jewel shards!"

"You have got to be kidding me…another damn human…and this one's a freaking kid…" Inuyasha starts grumbling about it, but doesn't put up too much of a fuss as we leave the village and set out for whichever region that Kagome thinks will have jewel shards.

As for me, I'm looking forward to this. It almost feels like one of those road trips I've never been allowed to take. But here, we're off into the unknown lands of feudal Japan.


End file.
